Forever (I'll Try For You and I)
by EndWorldPeas
Summary: Geek!Paige and her unrequited love for Emily.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, so before everyone gets excited thinking this story is back, it's not. Not really. It is, however, being worked on because I'm trying really hard to finish my unfinished stories (all 1,000 of them).**

 **My question to you all is (since people have been asking about this story so much): do you want me to post the five or so chapters that I do have finished for this story (keeping in mind that it is undergoing a rewrite and thanks to a complex character...deal (I don't know how much I can say without giving it away) I have to write a good part of the story before posting it)? Or do you want me to just leave it until I'm done (which, in all honesty, will take a long time because I am more drawn to write darker stories now)? Anyway, let me know in a nice way. And obviously, if I am rewriting it it is because I am unhappy with what I have so far or I wrote myself into a corner. Trying to convince me to not change it is not going to help me if I feel stuck.**

There are rules in life that a person must adhere to if they want to make it out alive. Simple rules like: don't put your hand in fire, always look before you leap, and do not, under any circumstances, call a girl you have zero interest in because you want cuddle time. The last rule is more about being a decent person, because toying with someone's feelings is a jerk move.

Emily Fields loves rules. Loves them. She's a stickler for them. She doesn't cross the street unless the lighted man tells her it's okay. She doesn't drink milk that has passed its expiration date even if it's just by a day. Every rule is followed, meticulously, all in the name of self-preservation. Convinced that if she follows every rule, she would never get hurt. In any way, body and heart. To say that she was guarded would be an understatement.

Naturally, being the lover of rules that she is, she knows the rule about not leading people on. And as she sits in her empty house — idly flipping her phone in her hand — guilt is already rearing its ugly head. This was beyond Emily's comfort zone: debating dialing the number of the only person she breaks rules for.

She tried to not call again, she really did. Her mom left about an hour ago and in that hour Emily had collected almost every blanket in the house, including the sleeping bags. She wrapped, twisted, and pulled her collection of blankets around her as tightly as she could, but while she was warm — uncomfortably warm — she still felt like something was missing. After successfully freeing herself from her blanket cocoon, she darted around the house collecting pillows. Propping the pillows on the couch to give her something to lean into. She was satisfied, momentarily, with the work that she had done and went back to the arduous process of coccooning herself again.

For a half hour she laid, fitfully, on the couch feeling a tad claustrophobic from the blankets and pushing back against the unsatisfying firmness of the goose-down pillows. Then, with an exasperated groan, she admitted defeat. She picked up her phone, flipped it in her hands, and with great apprehension, pressed the call button.

"Would you be willing to come over?" It didn't get much more pleasant than that. Sometimes she added a "please". Sometimes it sounded more like a demand, "Come over." How pleasant did someone need to be when making what was basically a booty call? Actually, more like a snuggle call, as no booty was ever exchanged. Words were never really exchanged either. It was treated more like a business transaction, with Emily getting to be held like she needed. She worried sometimes that her call would go unanswered and what she would do in that situation. She figured at that point she would call a girl that she had recently gone on a date with, even though that seemed more complicated. Emily rarely went beyond the second or third date. Matter of fact, she never went passed the third date. On the fourth date, feelings might be discussed and that was something she didn't want with anyone. Ever.

When she heard a polite knock on the door she jumped to her feet then paused for a moment. Jumping up seemed to eager and it was important to remind herself of her rule about not getting overly excited. Calmly and casually she stuffed all but a couple of the blankets in the coat closet then answered the door.

On any given day, Paige McCullers could be found wearing the most ridiculous Spider-man shirts; owning a collection of seemingly never ending variations: cartoon Spider-man, artistic Spider-man. Sometimes it was just Spider-man's torso giving Paige the appearance of having pecs and chiseled abs. If it wasn't Spider-man, it was some obscure science reference that Emily always had to put thought into before rolling her eyes. However, at this moment Paige was just in her charcoal sweatpants and plain black t-shirt. Her auburn hair was pulled into a messy bun, glasses sitting low on her nose. Emily wondered why she couldn't dress like this all the time; she almost looked...desirable. Almost. "Hey," she said in a low, raspy voice giving Emily the impression that Paige had been sleeping before she came over.

"Hi, Thanks," Emily replied and that was it. That was all that would be said between them until it was time for Paige to leave.

It was like a choreographed dance: the way they moved about the house together, getting ready to cuddle. Paige would throw the blanket across the back of the sofa before lying down. Emily would wait patiently for Paige to get settled. When Paige took her glasses off and set them on the end table, it was Emily's cue to lie down. She would lean against Paige, both of them pulling their knees up at the same time. Paige would then grab the edge of the blanket, placing it on top of them, before she wrapped her arm around Emily's waist.

Emily was pretty sure that Paige always feel asleep during these times. Clued in by the steady rise and fall of Paige's chest against her back. She never asked Paige why though. Why Paige never stayed up to watch the movie with her. She imagined that Paige didn't like scary movies and since that was usually what she was watching, Paige probably just found it easier to sleep.

Honestly, when she thought about it she didn't know much about Paige. She assumed Paige was an only child or if she did have a sibling there was a large age difference. One time, when Emily saw Paige with a lunch tray, she noticed Paige opted for chocolate milk. Three things that were obvious though: Paige liked comic books and Elvis; and she was in love with Emily. Has been for quite sometime, much to Emily's dismay.

One evening, a year ago, Emily enacted another rule: no kissing. Everything was business as usual, although their cuddle dance wasn't quite as perfect as it is now, but when Paige pulled the blanket over them she kissed Emily's neck: right under her ear. Emily hated the feeling, because that kiss was the epicenter for the soft trembles that rolled through her body. It made her feel like she wasn't in control. And to make it worse, it was Paige that caused it. With her lips, Paige had erased the history of kisses that others had given Emily. And not just on her neck. "Never kiss me again," was all Emily said. Paige didn't respond, but, thankfully, she never tried to kiss her again.

Liking that kiss was added to the long list of feelings that Emily would never admit to herself. Emily would never admit that Paige's body bent around hers perfectly, like a river that has spent years carving its way through the landscape. How Paige provided the perfect amount of warmth. She knew it was wrong to keep selfishly turning to Paige, but it was only Paige's body that ever felt connected with hers. Sure, Emily had other girls that she could call, but Emily was taller than the average girl and always had been more athletic than the girls she would date. None of them could provide the feeling of being secure like Paige did. Paige was similar in height to Emily - an argument could be made on any given day who was taller. Paige was also strong, although something else Emily didn't know about her was why she was strong. As far as Emily knew, Paige wasn't on any sports teams at school, but when she was in her arms Emily knew Paige was undeniably athletic.

Still, she had no desire to be with Paige. She didn't understand her: her jokes, the way she dressed, or how she was so open with her feelings. It annoyed Emily how forthcoming Paige was about her desire to be with her. And while Emily was always nice about rejecting her admirer, Paige seemed to be unfazed about being turned down. It might stop her proclamations of adoration for the day, but the next day she would be back to her old ways. Her self-confidence seemed to be limitless or maybe she was too foolish to realize she should be hurt.

The cuddling came about by accident at sixth grade camp. That is where eleven year old Emily met eleven year old Paige. Emily was homesick even though she had her three best friends - Spencer, Aria, and Hanna - in the same cabin with her. She hated how dark the woods were, the bugs — especially the bugs, and the way she was expected to have a camp boyfriend.

Paige was sort of the outcast of the cabin. While the other girls were gossiping about boys, Paige had her nose buried in a book, carefully identifying various plant species. She smiled easily and would carry on conversation when prompted, but she couldn't keep up with talk about hairstyles and no one understood why she thought the Hercules beetle was so exciting. "Geek" was a label that was given to her within the first couple days of camp and she wore the badge proudly. Anytime someone yelled "geek" at her, she would tuck her thumbs in her belt loops, smile broadly, and thank them for the compliment.

It baffled Emily how Paige could be so cavalier about being teased. After all, Emily didn't want to talk about gross boys, but she wanted people to like her. She picked a celebrity - Paul Walker- and claimed him as her future husband for the rest of camp. Paige, though, appeared to have no idea that it was best to fit in with the group. She didn't pick a future husband, only stating that she "wasn't interested in boys at the moment". When she was forced, though, she said Peter Parker. No one knew who he was. With questioning eyes on her, Paige just chuckled and went back to checking off wildflowers she had spotted that day.

After watching her for a couple weeks Emily decided that she would never be friends with a peculiar girl like Paige McCullers. She was so sure that they had nothing in common and therefore, attempting a friendship would be pointless. Besides, Paige seemed happier alone.

One night, during a rare summer thunderstorm, Emily was jolted awake by a cabin-shaking crack of thunder. Terrified, she leaped from her top bunk, searching for the comfort of home. Having three best friends to choose from it wouldn't have been too hard for her to find. That is why it was such a shock to her when her legs carried her to Paige. Without permission, but never feeling unwelcome, Emily crawled into Paige's bed and curled into her. Two wiry arms circled around her even though she was sure Paige hadn't woken up. Emily feel asleep almost as soon as her head hit Paige's shoulder and stayed even after the thunder stopped. Simply put: Emily has been toying with Paige's love for the past five years.

Spencer Hastings - although now an extremely bright and accepting person — was the first person to find it a little strange that Paige treated Emily the same way a husband would treat a wife. Carefully, she would study the rare interactions between the two, but mostly she watched Paige. She watched her because no one else was watching Paige watch over Emily. Frankly, it concerned her. The boy that tried to kiss Emily without her permission ended up with Poison Oak in his sleeping bag. Paige was sure to walk in front of Emily on hikes, kicking rocks off to the side to make the trail a little less hazardous. When Emily eventually did trip — on a root, not a rock- and sprained her ankle it was Paige that deposited a bouquet of wildflowers next to Emily's bed while she was sleeping in the medical cabin.

Emily never seemed to notice what Spencer noticed and Paige never made a big production of the things she did. So when Spencer woke up to find Emily sleeping in Paige's bed the morning after a bad thunderstorm; Spencer could only assume that Emily was there against her will. She screamed at Paige who just started at her with wide-eyed confusion. "You can't be her husband. You're a girl," she shouted causing tears to build in Paige's eyes. After all, it was Emily that crawled in bed with her. But Spencer didn't ask and Emily never corrected her. Then, with Hastings-like determination, she marched Emily to the Camp Directors office and demanded that Paige be kicked out of the cabin.

Life in her new cabin was fine for Paige. Everything went along as usual: people teasing her, her nose stuck in a book. Seeing Emily was rare for her now, but when she did see her she would smile brightly and try to not let the fact that Emily never returned the smile hurt her too much. She optimistically told herself that Emily did not see her and next time the girl would smile back. Only that return smile never came and during bonfire night by the Lake Paige witnessed Emily get her first kiss — from Poison Oak boy. That time she let it hurt too much. The only thing that cheered her up a little was that when no one was looking Emily wiped the kiss away with the back of her hand. Paige wondered if Emily knew that she had other options if she still would have kissed the boy. Paige would have liked to be Emily's first kiss; and maybe Emily only kissed that boy because she didn't know how Paige felt about her.

With a poorly thought-out plan, Paige rushed back to her cabin; took out her book of knots and went to work. With a heart knot in hand and love clouding her already immature judgement she marched right up to Emily, gave her the heart knot, and said, "My heart is yours to keep."

Now sixteen year old Paige is pretending to sleep while spooning sixteen year old Emily because she hates scary movies, but she loves that Emily loves them. It's business as usual, so Paige can count on Emily eventually forgetting to put her guard up. She'll start absentmindedly drawing patterns on Paige's arm and quietly hum the tune to Spider-man. That's when Paige is reminded that giving her heart to Emily was worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Since the first person to say anything was really nice, understanding, and basically everything a writer could want in a reviewer, I'll post the chapters that I have on this story. Also, a few people have noticed my tendency to rage quit and disappear for extended periods of time. That has lead to them asking me if I post stories on a different website. The answer is kind of no. I have a Tumblr, as listed in my profile, and there is one story (a fluffy ficette that I wrote faster than a sneeze) that I made difficult to find. I have often thought about switching to Tumblr to post things (as there are a lot of things I don't like about this website) so it is a possibility. The best way to keep up with my writing is to become my best friend and I will send you emails of stories that I am working on. Tell you my ideas that you'll get excited about, but I will never write. You'll get to talk me out of it every time I threaten to quit writing forever. And also, send you texts messages complaining about my mother. Right Sweet-T? haha**

* * *

"All I'm saying is that you or Aria should dye your hair red." Last night, Hanna got this crazy idea in her head that their foursome would be cuter if each naturally occurring hair color was represented. Today, she was trying — in vain — to convince her friends it's a great idea. "Emily has black hair and I, of course, have beautiful, golden locks."

"We're not Barbies, Hanna. We're not going to change our appearance for your amusement." Spencer was trying — in vain — to get her to give up the harebrained idea.

"Not 'we' just one of you would dye her hair. You guys can flip a coin: leave it to fate."

"It has to be you, Spence, my skin tone would not work with red hair." Aria just threw Spencer under the bus. Hanna couldn't argue with incompatible skin tones and she found herself in agreement with the petite brunette. That left Spencer as her only possible redhead.

Emily couldn't be bothered with this conversation; although she had caught some of it and debated telling Hanna that her hair was actually dark brown as of last week. Then suggest that Hanna dye her hair brown, too: so they all matched. An idea that Hanna would surely dismiss, because when it comes to her own hair, Hanna wasn't changing it for anyone. It could have been funny, but she was more concerned with finding her copy of "Great Expectations". A book that was currently resting — mistakingly forgotten — on her kitchen counter. "Do any of you guys have a copy of 'Great Expectations' I can borrow," she asked, grumbling because she already knew the answer: an unanimous no.

Hanna was going to continue her mission of getting Spencer to dye her hair when the Spider-man logo caught her eye. "Speaking of redheads," she said, grinning in recognition.

"From bad to worse," Emily mumbled, trying to hide her head in her locker. She hoped that today would be the day that Paige continued passed them without a word, but that never happened. Paige never went a day without saying something sweet and unwanted to her.

"When are you going to get over this, Em," Hanna asked out of annoyance. She liked Paige, always had. Having previously been overweight, Hanna knew what it was like to be the subject of ridicule. What others saw as flaws, Hanna saw them as things that were uniquely Paige and should, therefore, be appreciated. "Paige is actually really cute. You should give her a chance."

"Well, great," Emily punctuated the last word with a clap of her hand, "if you think she's cute you go out with her. Take the attention away from me."

Hanna knew Emily was working hard to keep up the appearance of being uninterested in Paige. As a matter of fact she was working so hard that at this point Hanna wondered who she was trying to convince. "You could try just going on one date with her; it might pacify her: especially if it doesn't go well."

"She has a point. A date could be worth a try," Spencer added while discreetly checking her reflection in a pocket mirror trying to picture herself with red hair.

"Have you all lost your minds? There is no way I would ever go out with her. It wouldn't get her to stop, it would just encourage her behavior."

Emily was her best friend, but sometimes Hanna wished she could shake some sense into her. "Someone is overly confident."

"Guys, quiet, here she comes," Aria warned.

"Good day ladies, you all look radiant this morning," Paige greeted the girls as a group, but her focus was mostly on Emily. "Hanna, how did your pre-cal test go?"

"I think it went a lot better than it would have had you not helped me. Thank you so much," Hanna said, wrapping her arms around Paige in a friendly hug. "I owe you big time."

"Don't mention it. I'm just glad I could help you out. Hi, Emily," Paige said. She had always made it a point to greet Emily specifically. It was often the only way to get a return greeting from the girl.

"Hi, Paige," Emily said softy, avoiding eye contact with the grinning girl in front of her.

"You look lovely today. Is that a new top," asked Paige. It was, but Emily didn't want to admit that. This whole thing felt like a game to her sometimes of who would cave first. Admitting that the shirt was new felt like it would be a small victory for Paige. She wanted Paige to understand that she didn't know _everything_ about her.

"No, I've had it for years." Emily Fields is a liar.

"Well, it still looks great. Good laundry detergent I suppose," Paige said with a laugh. When she laughed at her own jokes — which was often — her glasses would slowly slide down her nose because of her vibrating body. To return her glasses to their proper place she would always push them up by the bridge with her finger. Along with liking chocolate milk it was something else Emily noticed about Paige. She noticed because on certain days the little quirk would make the corners of her mouth turn up; giving the illusion that she was actually smiling at the geek.

"It's dry-clean only." That was a little overboard and judging by the sharp elbow to her side, Spencer thought so too.

"Paige, you have such nice hair. Don't you think Spencer would look nice with red hair — "

"Hey geek," Noel Kahn snapped as he knocked the books out of Paige's hands. She was used to this kind of treatment. It came with the territory of not trying to blend in with the crowd; still, she would get embarrassed when it happened in front of Emily. Paige knew that the beauty liked to fit in. A concept that she always found strange, because Emily had to realize that someone as gorgeous as her would stand out no matter what she did. However, there wasn't time to dwell: her books were scattered on the floor. As she was bending down to pick them up, though, she felt a sharp tug back on the collar of her shirt: landing her on her back with a thud. "Spider-geek, Spider-geek, will get _crushed_ like a spider does," Noel's best friend Ben Coogan sang out after he yanked Paige to the ground.

The laughing boys walked away: fist bumping. "Hey morons, don't ever touch her again!" The boys — who were now possibly out of earshot — were unfazed by Emily's words. In fact, it was only Emily that seemed taken back by her uncharacteristic outburst. It wasn't so much that it was odd for her to defend Paige; as much as she was annoyed by the girl's affections she didn't enjoy seeing her hurt. What was odd was the fact that she had just defended Paige so openly. Normally, words over Paige were exchanged in private when she had a moment to pull the tormentor aside and gently encourage them to leave Paige alone: with minor threats.

Still no one else appeared bothered by it or even seemed to noticed Emily's outburst. Spencer and Aria were picking up the scattered books, while Hanna helped Spider-geek — oops — Paige to her feet.

Paige did notice though; she always noticed momentary lapses in Emily's icy facade. Scaring Emily would be too easy right now if she were to make a big deal out of what the girl had just done for her. So instead she smiled softly and brushed herself off, realizing that Emily was, indeed, already scared.

It was unfortunate, to say the least, that Paige had fallen so deeply in-love with a girl that was so over-protective of herself. Where even the small act of standing up for her would cause the girl to retreat back into her shell. But in what has been proven to be true time and time again: Paige couldn't help who she loves any more than Emily could help who falls in love with her. It was just Emily's bad luck that Paige was so persistent. It was also Emily's bad luck — and not the universe trying to tell her something — that Paige was in almost every class with her: starting with English.

When the warning bell rang, Emily and Paige naturally fell in-step with each other. They often walked together to class without walking _together_. Just two students that happen to be going to the same room: walking beside each other.

"Paige, just the person I wanted to see." Grace Turner was shy a girl, but she would always greet Paige with unbridled joy. Smiling to the point where her face was practically all teeth and glasses.

"Well, then it's a good thing I didn't wear my invisibility cloak," Paige joked, having to push up her glasses, because, like usual, she was laughing at herself. It's a shame she wasn't looking at Emily, because if she had been she would have seen a slight hint of a smile: something that Paige needed from time to time. There was no missing the smile on Grace's face, though. She beamed until she cupped her hand over her mouth in embarrassment after laughing so much she snorted.

"You are so funny," Grace said. She genuinely enjoyed Paige's humor.

"Class, settle down. Take your seats. Open your minds. Let learning in. Books! What are they good for? Absolutely _everything._ Hold them up." Mr. McBeth was one of the more…interesting teachers at Rosewood. He loved teaching, though, and it showed in everything he did. "Does everyone have their book today?"

From the back of the classroom, Emily raised her hand sheepishly. "I forgot mine."

"Oh no, Miss Fields say it isn't so." Emily's face tinted red: embarrassed by the unwanted attention. "Who would like to spend the next forty-five minutes sitting next to Emily? All you have to do is share your book." Paige would, of course, like to spend all the time she could sitting next to Emily.

"I do! I have a — ," Paige's words were interrupted momentarily as she scrambled over the empty desk to get to Emily, "a book. We can share. I'll share."

Mr. McBeth rubbed his forehead, watching the whole clumsy scene unfold before him. If he had these girls next year he was going to seat them next to each other. Threatening looks from Emily be damned. "Thank you Paige for your enthusiastic willingness to help Miss Fields. Now that we are all settl — " They were almost settled, but Paige was worried Emily could not see the book comfortably with their desks being so far away, so she set out to fix the problem. Every set of eyes in the classroom were on her as her desk scraped slowly along the linoleum floor; Paige apologized throughout the entire cringe-inducing ordeal. "Finished," Mr. McBeth asked once the screeching finally stopped.

As soon as Paige sat down she took her glasses off to clean them with her t-shirt. "Carry on."

"Good, now that we are settled let's turn our books to page 307. Anyone want to volunteer to read the first paragraph for us," Mr. McBeth asked his already-bored class, knowing beyond any doubt that only one hand was going to shoot up to volunteer. And he was right. Paige waved her hand eagerly in the air with almost as much enthusiasm as she showed getting to Emily. "Yes, Paige, go ahead."

Paige started to read, "I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be." Emily's nerves twisted: knowing that she was on the geek's mind. Knowing that when Paige uttered the word "love" she was thinking of her; she was hopelessly romantic and in her romantic mind she was reading to Emily.

She wished there was someway to divert Paige's attention to another girl. Someone more deserving and appreciative of the geek's affections. Honestly, Paige was reasonably attractive even with her glasses and poor choice of clothing. She had inviting brown eyes that Emily could imagine — if she tried hard enough — would captivate a lover.

Mr. McBeth smiled sadly watching Emily's face contort into a look of discomfort: aware that Paige was likely the cause. He had to admit that despite Paige's awkward demeanor, she was one of his favorite students. She was just as sharp as Spencer Hasting, but without all the pretension and demanding attitude. Besides he couldn't fault the girl for being in love, after all, he was sure that he had acted in a similar manner when he first met his wife of 15 years.

Truth is, he always found himself rooting for Paige, after first seeing the lovestruck teenager three years ago. He admired her bravery and her willingness to be so open about her feelings when most kids her age would have given up: especially after the amount of rejection Emily had given her. Day-to-day, he would hope to see Emily and Paige walking in together: hand-in-hand. Or at least engaging in a conversation that Emily looked like she wanted to be a part of. At this point — with time winding down for the Juniors — Mr. McBeth worried it would take a miracle for that to happen.

"Mr. McBeth, shall I continue," Paige repeated for the third time.

The teacher, not realizing he had been lost in though, shook his head and responded, "Emily, how about you read the next paragraph for us."

Mr. McBeth laughed quietly as Paige's full attention turned to Emily. In actuality, her attention turned to Emily's lips, but he couldn't see that from all the way at the front of the classroom. Hearing Emily read was a treat for Paige. All the books that she already loved, she only fell in love with them more once it was Emily's voice telling her the story instead of her own. She sighed in dreamy contentment: wishing that Mr. McBeth would have Emily read for the rest of class.

"Do you want me to keep reading," Emily asked once she had finished her assigned paragraph.

Mr. McBeth motioned for her to continue and with a huff she refocused on the next sentence.

Paige cheered in her head, "Teacher of the year!" Before long Paige was back to being mesmerized at the way Emily's lips wrapped around each word. She was sure that if she could see the words they would be dancing in line on Emily's tongue, waiting for their chance to make the breathy presence known.

"Thank you, Emily," Mr. McBeth released her, remembering why he didn't sit Paige and Emily next to each other. Paige would likely spiral downward from an A student to an F student. Although if there was at least one test on Emily's face, the lovesick girl would ace it, pulling her final grade up to at least a D.

While the other students took over the duty of reading out loud, Paige and Emily remained leaning towards each other to follow along from the same book. It had been a week since they last cuddled; not nearly enough time for Emily to feel comfortable inviting Paige over again. The brunette was going to be home alone tonight, though, and she decided that just this once, a week would be enough time between cuddle sessions.

"Paige," Emily whispered, careful to not disturb the rest of class.

Paige looked up quickly; an eager smile plastered on her face, "Yes?"

"Would you be willing to come over tonight?" Emily tried to ignore the look of disappointment that flashed across Paige's face. Except, the look confused her so much it became all she could focus on. She was sure that the geek enjoyed cuddling with her; so why would she look disappointed?

"Sure," was all Paige said before returning back to the book, flipping the pages quickly: trying to catch up with the rest of the class.

For a brief moment Emily considered asking Paige if something was wrong, but that might have lead to a discussion about feelings. She ultimately decided against it; and they fell back into their routine silence until the bell rung.

After class, Grace hesitantly approached Paige. "Do you have a second," Grace asked, shifting, nervously, in the spot that she was standing.

Emily eyed the fidgeting girl with careful consideration: wheels turning in her head.

"I sure do. What's on your mind," Paige answered.

Grace began to fidget even more: shifting her eyes between Paige, Emily, and the floor. "I - umm - I just have a joke if you want to hear it." The geek nodded. "I told a chemistry joke recently; it didn't get a big reaction."

Paige responded with an amused chuckle before tell her own silly chemistry joke: "That's why I only tell chemistry jokes periodically."

Emily watched as both jokesters laughed together. And when Grace reached her hand out to touch Paige's arm, a lightbulb switched on inside Emily's mind. Those two were perfect for each other. Clearly, they understood each other jokes. Emily was sure they both enjoyed music and Grace seemed to have a crush. Okay, so maybe perfect was an overstatement, but she still felt like the two would be a good-enough match. At least Grace would _get_ Paige: something Emily thought she could never do.

She looked up and smiled brightly at Paige: an actual honest-to-God smile. She knew Paige was waiting for her so she gathered up her things and together — but not _together_ — they walked to their second period class. Ideas about how she was going to persuade Grace to ask Paige out were already running through her mind.

* * *

"I have a brilliant idea," Emily said. She was currently standing on a small wooden box while Hanna draped and pinned shiny, gold fabric around her. Fourth period elective was the only class Emily and Paige didn't have together; because Hanna talked Emily into taking a fashion class with her. Although, Emily was sure that she wouldn't have pick film production like the redhead had.

Hanna hummed in acknowledgment.

"You know Grace Turner?"

"The tall, awkward, gorgeous blonde with legs for miles? Of course, I've been wanting to give her a makeover for years," Hanna said. "Hold still."

Emily's brows dropped at Hanna's words. "Would we say she is gorgeous," Emily asked skeptically.

"Totally, if you look passed the glasses that take up almost half of her face and her curly hair that she can't seem to control. She is stunning."

On reflex, Emily tried to twist around to face Hanna only to be stabbed by tiny, but effective, dressmaker pins, "Oww!"

"Well, I told you to hold still. Maybe next time you'll listen to a girl when she is armed." Once Emily settled back into her spot Hanna went back to work. "Anyway, what about Grace?"

"I think she has a thing for Paige and I'm going to try to set the two of them up," Emily said matter-of-factly.

Hanna dropped her hands to her sides and stood up to better look into the brunette's eyes. "Really," she asked. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Hanna lolled her head to the side trying to think of the nicest way to tell Emily that she's being an idiot. "I guess I feel like you shouldn't be working so hard to push Paige away."

"I'm not 'working hard,' but I think it's time she moved on. Grace likes her; all she needs is a push to ask Paige out." Emily sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. She knew Hanna liked Paige, but they both needed to move on. "Don't you think that Paige deserves to like someone that likes her back? I know you like her, but she and I are never going to happen."

"Of course I do, I just hoped that you would give her a chance is all. I don't think you realize what you are giving up."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other end of the hallway Paige was carefully editing together pieces of a short film. "Emily smiled at me today," she said to her project partner and best friend, Caleb.

"Well, stop the presses! It's nothing short of an early Christmas miracle." Caleb had been trying to persuade Paige to date other girls for years, but at this point he would settle for Paige even noticing another girl. He didn't understand his friend's loyalty towards a girl that has never shown any interested in her. Because Caleb - like Emily's friends — didn't know about her calling Paige when she wanted to be held. An action that Emily refused to acknowledge was keeping Paige from giving up.

"Make fun of me all you want; I think she's might be coming around."

Caleb looked at Paige sadly. He knew she was going to be heartbroken when Emily "coming around" ended up being nothing — again. "Let's just finish this film. It's taco day in the cafeteria and I want to get there early."

Caleb navigated through the lunch crowd with eight tacos — the school enforced limit — balancing on his tray. Paige followed closely behind with a much less greedy three tacos. She scanned the crowd until she spotted a blonde waving them over.

"Hi, Hanna, are you not eating today," Paige asked noticing Hanna didn't have a tray in front of her. "Would you like me to get food for you?"

"No, I'm fine thank you. The girls are getting food for me while I'm on table guarding duty. It's difficult to find a decent table on taco day."

"I share with you while you wait," Caleb said, handing one of his tacos to Hanna.

"Thanks, that's very sweet of you," Hanna said smiling shyly at the boy.

Paige laughed lightly at the exchange. Caleb and Hanna liked each other, but both were two shy to make the first move. She did everything she could to persuade the guy to ask Hanna out and he had been close a couple times, but always back out last minute. "Gee, Caleb, are you sure that you are not going to starve with just seven tacos," Paige said.

"Probably, but I'll just take one of yours." Caleb reached over to steal a taco from Paige's tray, but she quickly slapped his hand away.

"In some places it is well within my rights to chop off your hands now, but I'll let you off with a warning."

"Hey, guys," Spencer said when she and Aria got to the table.

"Hi, where's Em," Hanna asked.

"Let me guess she's been kidnap and the kidnappers want 50 unmarked tacos delivered before the end of the day," Paige said pushing her glasses back up her nose.

Spencer and Aria exchanged looks before Spencer made a poor attempt at an alibi, "She - she remembered that she had a meeting with a teacher at lunch."

It was no use although, but Paige appreciated them for trying. She didn't normally sit with Emily and her friends during lunch. Had it not been for the fact that Hanna was sitting alone; Paige knew she would not have called her and Caleb over. Emily was avoiding eating with her friends because she was sitting with them too. Suddenly, it was like watching Emily getting her first kiss all over again. Paige began to understand what she was to Emily: not much. She had never gone so far to deliberately avoid her before.

"Paige," Hanna whispered in the hurt girl's ear, "you don't deserve this."

She didn't look up to respond to Hanna: more comfortable inspecting the chipped paint of the table. "I don't deserve what? She has a meeting," Paige said trying to remain blissfully ignorant. "Here, Caleb, you can have rest of my food. I don't want you to starve." Her lips quirked into a small smile before heading off to the library.

"Wait up," Hanna called out chasing after the redhead. Paige turned on her heels and waiting for Hanna to catch up: cleaning her glasses with her shirt. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, never better," Paige said.

The blonde grabbed Paige's hand, "You don't have to be brave with me. I know that your feelings are hurt."

"I can't help that I love her, Hanna." Paige paused to her damp eyes with her sleeve. "I've tried to forget about her, but when I see her I think, 'what if today is the day she changes her mind about me'. At this point, though, tell me how to stop loving her and I will gladly do it. I don't want to be a bother anymore."

"You are not going to forget about her overnight," Hanna said, rubbing Paige's arms. "Hey, how about you let me set you up on a date?"

Paige rocked her head back and forth considering the offer. Everyone was telling her that she should try dating more, but a blind date: that seemed a little extreme. "I don't know, Han."

"Give it a chance," said Hanna. That got to Paige. All she wanted was a chance with Emily, but now she was hypocritically refusing giving someone a chance herself.

She finally relented with a slow nod.

"Yay," Hanna exclaimed and clapped. "Are you free Friday?"

"Friday is the Sadie Hawkins assembly remember? I can do Thursday."

"Great, I'll set it up for Thursday. That'll be better anyway: more like a get-to-know-you-hang-out rather than a date."

"Isn't a date basically a 'get-to-know-you-hang-out,'" Paige asked in a teasing tone.

Hanna scrunched her face at Paige, "I don't care what you call it as long as you go."

"I'll go," she said with a laugh.

What Paige didn't know was that Emily wasn't _avoiding_ her per se: she was looking for Grace. With one mission on her mind, to talk Grace into asking Paige out. She was proud of herself, actually, feeling like she would be doing the two of them a favor by bringing them together. Surely, it was all Paige needed — to date someone else — to make the girl realize that she wasn't actually in love with her. After not being able to find the leggy blonde Emily went home and straightened up her house in anticipation of Paige coming over. Then she did something she has never done before: she went to the store to buy some chocolate milk.

At seven Paige found herself standing in front of Emily's door: not quite ready to knock. The chalk was cleaned from her hands and her clothes were fresh; but she kept replaying Hanna's words in her mind. "You deserve better." She knew that it was true, but maybe she just didn't care. Because on the other side of that door was the girl of her dreams and her dream girl was waiting to be held. There was no way she was going to miss that chance.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes, Sweet-T it means you have to start reviewing again. If I'm posting you are reviewing. Them's the rules.**

* * *

It would seem strange to some that a girl as breathtaking as Emily Fields would spend so much time with her eyes fixed on the ground beneath her. A ground that she often wished would open and swallow her whole: take her back to the days of perfection and being carefree. But the hole she needed to make her escape, never materialized. Instead she bumped into people who would quickly apologize to her — even though she was the one not paying attention. Still she moved on autopilot, effortlessly navigating the familiar halls of her high school; thinking about what her life could have been like: what it _should_ have been like.

Her head was still down when she rounded the corner going in the opposite direction of her next class: not realizing what she was doing. Only the impact against a familiar body and the sight of slip-on Vans with hand-drawn Spider-Man symbols on them freed her from her daze. A series of apologies flowed from Paige's mouth and into Emily's ears, but she failed to fully comprehend what was being said. She just watched Paige's eyes: irked by the fact they were so expressive. The geek didn't need to actually say that she was sorry because any fool could see the apology swirling in Paige's eyes. God how she hated those eyes.

Why was it so easy for her to convey her emotions? Paige was always so ready and willing with her heart displayed proudly on her sleeve. Even as silence fell between them; Emily still noticed the way the redhead's eyebrows quirked with concern. The way her lips tightened nervously as Emily still had not said a word.

"Why do you love me?" She had never asked Paige this before because, honestly, she didn't really care to hear the answer. She was sure that the girl had a superficial reason for putting her on such a high pedestal. "I've never given you a reason to love me." Emily crossed her arms over her chest as Paige took off her glasses to clean them. "After all these years, why do you keep trying?"

It was true that Emily had never given Paige a direct reason to love her. What Emily had always failed to grasp about her admirer is that she appreciated little things more than grand gestures. And while everyone looked at the forest, Paige had noticed each tree: equally beautiful on their own. In reality it started with a smile; one smile amongst a group of many smiles, but Emily's shined the brightest. At first the smile wasn't for Paige, but as the awkward girl stood on the outskirts of the other campers she locked eyes with the owner of that smile and the impossible happened: the smile grew even wider. The ground felt like it moved out from under her — likely because it did as her footing gave out and she slid down a short hill on her butt. "I'm already falling for that girl," she laughed to herself as she pulled out the pine needles stuck in the fabric of her shorts.

Then came the second thing: "Are you okay?" Paige was startled to find the girl with the radiant smile standing right in front of her: still smiling, but out of reassurance, not humor. She was the only one that reached out her hand to help the fallen geek while the rest sat back and did a pitiful job hiding their amusement.

"Oh that? Yeah, just trying to make an entrance," Paige joked, wiping the dirt off of her backside. It was the beginning of a long list of silly things Paige would say to Emily.

She could give the girl 101 reasons off the top of her head why she loved her, but instead she shrugged: it wasn't the right time. Paige knew that Emily wasn't asking because she honestly wanted to know. No, instead she was asking to convince Paige that her reasons were not good enough: something she would never let happen. So, the geek smiled softly and with every reason running through her mind she said, "I don't have a choice." It was the kind of vague answer that would upset Emily, but it wasn't false. Paige truly felt as though she was meant to love the girl.

Just as Paige had predicted the beauty shook her head in annoyance. "You have a choice," she responded.

"And you have class…in the other direction." Paige spun Emily around and gave her a gentle nudge. "Warp speed!" As she watched the brunette hurry to the class she was late for, Paige sighed hoping that one day Emily would know the answer to that question without having to ask — and she was admiring the view. The question that Paige really kicked around in her mind was why she kept trying. Sure, there were the clandestine cuddle sessions, but Emily had never openly shown any interest in her. "Because that's what you do when you are in love: you risk and you wait," she told herself with a firm head nod. She didn't need to remind herself of why she held out hope; her racing heart reminded her every time she saw the guarded beauty.

Suddenly remembering that she was late for class too; she turn on her heels and started walking: fidgeting with the paper in her hands. She folded and unfolded the now wrinkled paper until she stopped dead in her tracks: she was supposed to deliver the paper to the office. It was a list of makeup assignments for Caleb who was out sick. Spinning around again, she slapped a hand over her eyes and took a couple steps forward until she collided with a lanky body. Paige withdrew her hand from her face: apologies from both girls already filling the air.

"I am such a klutz," Grace said trying to locate her glasses that had been knocked off in the geek collision. "Are you injured?"

"No, no, I'm the one that should be apologizing," Paige said, frantically trying to collect Grace's dispersed belongings. "I was having a scatter-brained moment and wasn't paying attention." She located Grace's glasses, but unfortunately one of the lenses had popped out and cracked. "Umm," she hummed, cringing at the sight of the broken spectacles, "I'm sorry, Grace, I broke your glasses."

"Oh, that's no big deal, happens all the time," she squinted and reached for Paige's hands.

"Wait, here, try mine," Paige slipped her glasses onto Grace's face. The blonde turned her head to try to hide the bit of blush that she knew was tinting her cheeks. "Can you see?"

Grace blinked a few times. The glasses were not perfect, but they worked. "I can, but what about you?"

Paige shrugged, "I'll just wear yours." She pushed the specs up her nose. Keeping her eye behind the empty spot closed while she looked around. "Yeah, these will do, and it's a good excuse to wear an eyepatch."

The blonde geek laughed, adoring the sight of Paige squinting and wearing her glasses. Just seeing Paige wearing anything of hers made her heart skip. "Do you actually have an eyepatch?"

Paige shook her head, feeling like she has missed a great opportunity. It would have really been a good excuse for an eyepatch. Now she'll have to keep one eye closed through the rest of her classes. A moment of comfortable silence fell between the two of them as they both got lost in their own thoughts.

Grace jumped a little when Paige finally recalled what she has now missed a majority of her class for, "Oh! I need to drop this off at the office," Paige said, holding the wrecked paper up.

"May I walk with you," the blonde blurted out in a moment of uncharacteristic bravery. This was unlike Grace to leave herself open to be rejected even for something as innocent as walking with Paige, but she knew it had to be done.

Paige smiled brightly as she watched Grace already start to shrink. "Don't you have class?"

Grace shook her head, "I'm a TA this period. I normally eat lunch now." She ate lunch early because food wasn't allowed in the library and that's where she liked to spend fifth period lunch. It was also where Paige spent her lunch, but Grace liked to pretend that was coincidence whenever she ran into the geek amongst the stacks.

"Great, let's go."

Grace walked beside Paige quietly; hoping that her smile didn't give her away too much. The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself already: there would be plenty of time for that later. Another, even braver, question swirling around in her sharp mind.

* * *

With an exhausted huff Emily dropped her backpack on the ground and her body on the seat. "Please tell me that my calendar was lying and it's actually Friday. Better yet, please tell me my birthday is wrong and I'm actually a Senior and graduating soon."

Spencer reached her arm out and pulled Emily into her: wrapping the arm protectively around her. Spencer and Emily had known each other the longest and were arguably the closest of the group. The brunette -still brunette despite Hanna's efforts - was fiercely loyal and protective of all her friends, especially Emily. She was her confidant, a shoulder that was always available, but more than anything she was the only one that was always completely honest with Emily. "It'll be over soon," she said as she rested her cheek against Emily's soft hair. To anyone that didn't know them Spencer could have been talking about the week, the month, their time in high school, but the three girls knew the real meaning behind Spencer's words.

"How is your dad holding up," Aria asked.

Emily chuckled humorlessly, "Like a slab of marble in every possible way: smooth, cold, and without cracks. If he was human I might be able to tell you what is going through is head, but he would have to actually feel things to be human. Which we all know he is not capable of."

"You know you can come over to my house," Hanna offered, resting her head on Emily's vacant shoulder, "if you need a break."

Emily smiled, appreciating her friends more than she often remembered to say, "Thanks Han, I might have to take you up on that." Anything was better than calling Paige, but lately she was feeling more and more like she needed that comfort. It was an arrangement that she didn't want to last and the more she called the redhead the more she chastised herself for leading Paige on. Something that no amount of chocolate milk would make up for.

"Maybe we can all come over for a girl's weekend," Spencer added, squeezing Emily when she felt the girl's head nod against her shoulder.

Hanna clapped her hands in excitement; she was always up for slumber parties. All eyes turned to Aria. "I better have a say in the pizza this time," Aria added.

"Yay," Hanna squealed, "let's all meet at my house after the assembly. Bring chick flicks and any clothes that you might not want anymore." Emily and Spencer groaned in unison.

Hanna stabbed at the leaves of her summer salad when something interesting caught her eye. "Emily," she said, focused on the sight of Paige and Grace walking together, "I thought you said that you weren't going to talk to Grace."

"I didn't," Emily responded with her eyes closed, trying to wish away the day, "not after you told me you were setting her up on a date."

"Well, apparently that whole 'put it out in the universe and you'll have it' stuff works because-"

Emily finally opened her eyes and watched as the two geeks settled under a tree together. Her back went straight as a board as she watched Grace give Paige a guitar before pulling a notebook out of her backpack. The girls looked cozy as the geek tuned the guitar: looking like she's done it a million times.

"Way to go, Paige," Spencer said, smiling as she also watched the two girls with great interest. After a rocky start she realized some years later how wrong she had been about her initial opinion of Paige. She was fond of the geek and she especially liked that Paige kept her on her toes in the race for valedictorian. If anyone was going to beat her for the honor, she knew it would be Paige. Normally, Spencer would have held a thinly veiled hatred for her competition in an academic pursuit, but she knew that Paige was a genuinely exceptional student. Her outstanding grades were for herself and not an attempt to gain recognition.

The friends watched as Paige started to strum the guitar while Grace kept flipping through her notebook obviously looking for something specific. When she found it she smiled and Paige gave the guitar back to her. From across the quad the friends could barely hear the sound of the blonde singing. Paige stretched out her legs and leaned back on her arms, clearly enjoying whatever tune was being played.

Hanna looked at Emily, hoping that she would be able to gauge her reaction to seeing the two girls looking so friendly — and cute she might add — together. She frowned when she saw that Emily had apparently already lost interest and was back to resting her head on Spencer shoulder. If Emily did care she certainly wasn't going to make it known. Hanna sighed, happy that at least Emily wasn't jumping for joy.

"Grace, that was amazing," Paige gushed once she had finished her song.

"Thank you," Grace said with a soft smile as she pulled individual blades of grass from the dirt. This was her chance. Paige agreed to let her walk to the office with her. She agreed to eat lunch with the blonde. The way Grace saw it, she was on a roll and might as well continue while she had the confidence. "Paige, I was wondering - I was wanting to ask you, if you are not busy…tonight, if I - if you would like to go-" Grace looked up at Paige hoping to see some encouragement in her sparkling brown eyes, what she got instead was disappointment. The redhead wasn't paying the least bit of attention to her. She glanced in the direction Paige was looking only to have her heart break a little: she had lost Paige's attention to Emily…again.

Grace wasn't a fool; Paige was indeed lost. Out of all the things that Paige had ever read: books, magazines, blogs, fan fiction, cereal boxes; her favorite thing to read was Emily. The geek noticed the subtle changes in Emily's face that most people overlooked: the slight upward pull at the corners of her mouth, the shift in the shade of her irises, the quick quirk of concern in her brow. All of it told Paige a story — Emily's story — about her day, her thoughts, her feelings. No matter how much she tried, Emily wasn't able to completely hide her feelings yet. Anyone that was looking hard enough would know her story too, but — thankfully for Paige — no one cared to try.

Paige was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a warm hand curl around her fingers. "Oh I'm sorry, Amazing Grace, I was distracted. What were you saying?"

The geek had never used a nickname with Grace before and the blonde felt she was being covered with kittens. She was sure the nickname didn't actually mean anything, just a title of a song with a common name, but hearing Paige refer to her as "amazing" made her feel like her feet were tumbling over her head. In a flash the bravery returned, Paige could be her girl, but she had to ask. She had to make the redhead realize that she had options. "Paige, I was wondering if you are doing anything tonight?" Okay, so she didn't actually use the word "date," but it was a start. Maybe she would try to initiate some handholding tonight.

Paige closed her unassisted eye and read the words of the song in Grace's notebook. For a moment she wondered if the blonde was asking her out as something other than friends. Shaking her head at the absurd thought, she answered the waiting girl, "I have a date tonight, but I'm free tomorrow."

Grace did her best to hide the fact that all of the air was leaving her body at the same moment. "A date," she was too late. Her stomach twisted around itself, but she kept it together. "With Emily? That's great," she said with a tight-lipped smile.

"No, not with Emily," she sighed glancing back at Emily's table. "It's one of Hanna's friends. I guess she goes to Oakwood." Paige fell back on the grass feeling like there was a weight on her chest. She didn't want to be set up on a blind date. To spend an evening with a stranger that might not understand her. A date was too formal of a situation to meet someone for the first time. If she was going on a date she would prefer it be with someone that she already knew. Besides, what ever happened to "friends first"? "Can I tell you a super secret," Paige asked, squinting up at Grace.

The blonde had been trying to keep herself from running away, but now her desire to bolt was even stronger. What was Paige going to say: that she was looking forward to the date, that she has found her Mary Jane, that she never wanted to date anyone other than Emily? She chocked back the lump in her throat and smile, "Of course, you can tell me anything."

"I would rather give away my Alex Ross sketch than go on this date," she said with a laugh.

Grace's eyes widened comically, "Paige you're acting like you are going to be tortured for a few hours."

"I feel like I am! I wouldn't be surprised if I get to the restaurant and there's a hood and several buckets of water around our table."

The blonde had to admit that while she felt bad for her friend a big part of her was relieved that Paige was dreading the date. "I think you're overreacting. Besides it'll probably be bamboo reeds not buckets of water," she teased.

With a heavy groan Paige rolled over and buried her face in her arms. "She'll never get me to talk."

* * *

In a booth at the Grille, Paige fidgeted with everything at her table. In the fifteen minutes she had been there she built: two impressive towers, one shaky sugar-packet archway, and a goal for her wrapper soccer ball. While she was working on reconstructing her tower her fumbling fingers got the better of her and she knocked over the saltshaker. The white granules raced across the table, each adding years of bad luck. "Shoot, no, no, no!" Paige could use all the help she could get. She quickly gathered up the salt and threw it over her left shoulder…directly onto the woman behind her.

"Hey, watch it," the woman screeched as she stood up to wipe the salt off of her.

"Oh God, miss, I am so sorry. _So_ , so sorry. I spilled the salt and, as I'm sure you know, it's bad luck," Paige explained while she grabbed a napkin and started using it like she was cleaning the woman with a feather duster. "I have a date tonight and I'm already so nervous, but was happy to see that there wasn't any buckets of water around my table. Although, she could be bringing those with her," Paige added, concerning herself too much with the unlikely torture techniques that she would have to endure tonight. She didn't even realize that the woman had stopped moving and Paige was now dusting her cleavage.

"Get your hands off of my girl, nerd," a broad man demanded as he stood up from the table.

It was only then that Paige realized what she was doing. "No, no I'm so sorry. I just-," Paige glanced back and forth between the angry faces of the couple. Her only hope now was the fact that she was still wearing Grace's glasses. Surely, these people were reasonable enough to not hit a girl with only one lens in her spectacles.

"I leave you alone for five minutes and you are already making friends," Hanna said as she wrapped her arm around Paige. "I'm sorry, she is such a social-butterfly. Please, just ignore her." The blonde was not at all intimidating, but being gorgeous did have its perks: one of them being people don't want to hit her in the face for making honest mistakes.

Hanna looked around at the mess on the table and softly shook her head, "What happened here? Let me guess: a tiny tornado?"

"Yes, my tower was structurally unstable and the tiny tornado knocked it over," Paige said softly as she returned everything to their original positions. "Wait, how come you are here?"

"I'm your date tonight," Hanna said cheerfully raising her hands in the air as if she was presenting herself.

"Hanna, I'm flattered, but you know how I feel about Emily and -"

"No, actually, I don't, Paige, please tell me how you feel about Emily." Hanna rested her chin on her hands and stared intently at the lovestruck girl.

"Ha ha very funny smart-ass."

"Anyway," the blonde began, "my friend had a last-minute emergency and since I know how you like to be fifteen minutes early for _everything_ I thought I would join you instead of canceling."

Paige nodded, but didn't look up: a look Hanna immediately recognized.

"Hey," the girl said as she took Paige's hand, "she really did have an emergency. She was looking forward to meeting you."

The geek rocked her head back and forth, "that's okay. To be honest, I was really nervous and I might have had some irrational thoughts. Dinner with you is a better plan anyway. Maybe she and I can try again, but in a more social setting. I'm not good with the one-on-one stuff right away."

"Okay, I'll plan something and invite you guys. Just a warning though, Emily will probably be there and if you spend the whole night fawning over her I am going to force you to go on dates every Friday until we find you the right girl."

"Are there enough lesbians in Rosewood for that," Paige joked.

"I'll find girls that are willing to travel," Hanna said in a determined tone. "I just want you to find somebody."

Paige looked down at the table as she pushed the leftover salt around with her finger. She _had_ found somebody.

"Hey, speaking of somebody, I saw you with Grace Turner today," the blonde said with an implying tone. "Do I dare dream that you are actually finding someone for yourself?"

A pink hue of blush spread over Paige's face remembering that Grace had asked her to hangout, but she didn't know what it meant. "We are just friends. She is working on a song and wanted my opinion," Paige said with a shrug.

Hanna, of course, noticed the blush and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, "yeah, but she likes you. It's written all over her face."

Paige shook her head incredulously, "she's just a nice girl."

"Nice girls can have crushes too, you know."

"I really don't think she sees me like that."

Realizing that it was pointless to argue, she tried a different approach, "Let's say she were to ask you on a date: would you go?"

Keeping her eyes focused on the salt she thought, carefully, about her answer. While she could see herself having a good time with Grace, she didn't think it was fair to agree to a date when she was clearly in love with Emily.

"Pretend Emily doesn't exist," Hanna quickly added, recognizing the troubled look in Paige's eyes.

The thought of Emily not existing left a knot in her stomach that threatened to engulf her whole body. She knew it was just a hypothetical situation, but it was the last thing she wanted to think about. Still, Hanna had proved her point: she would date Grace and likely be happy doing it. As she slowly started to nod, her friend started to squeal. "This doesn't mean I want you trying to set us up."

"Oh, no, I won't," Hanna said, unconvincingly, already scheming up a plan.


	4. Chapter 4

"Grace. Grace, wait up!"

The tall blonde wasn't used to having people call out to her in the halls so it didn't even occur to her that Hanna was chasing after her.

"Grace," Hanna panted as she was finally able to grab the material of the girl's backpack, "Jesus, you're like a giraffe or a gazelle. Or some other speedy, long-legged animal."

"An ostrich would have been a good simile for you to use if you are looking for an example of an animal with impressive speed and stature. Interesting fact about the ostrich: they can run up to forty miles an-"

Hanna stared at the girl wondering how many facts Grace-pedia was going to try to stuff into her brain today. "Wow! That's fascinating," she said cutting the girl off. Poor Hanna was just to tired from running to keep feigning interest. "So, listen, you're hot for Paige right?" Clearly, too tired for pretense also.

The blunt approach Hanna was using made Grace wish that she really were an ostrich so she could hide her face in the ground and not appear again until school was over. Instead she blushed until she was the color of a ripe tomato. Tightening the straps on her backpack she tried to think her way out of admitting something that she wasn't ready too. Unfortunately, for Grace, it didn't matter what her IQ was, she wasn't above falling victim to the curse of having a crush on someone. It was the same curse that turned her brain into a useless mound of a substance resembling baby food. "I have heart palpitations whenever I'm around her. It's not unpleasant though; more like my heartbeat is trying to time itself with her's, but she is always just out of reach."

"Ooookay…listen I think we should talk. Walk with me," Hanna flipped her hair and set off in the opposite direction of Grace's class.

The ostrich-esq girl glanced down the hall to where she was supposed to be going, but hastily made up her mind to follow Hanna. If it meant she had a chance with Paige, Grace would follow the shorter blonde all around the school, the town, the state, the world. "You're not going to tell her, are you?"

"No, that's for you to do."

Grace let out a humorless laugh. If she had the courage to admit her feelings to Paige she would have done it a long time ago: likely five minutes after they met in Sophomore English when Paige barely had one foot in the classroom when she tripped over her untied shoelaces. Grace never considered herself lucky or unlucky. That day, though, she began to wonder how long it had been since she had broken a mirror because she quickly realized that no matter how much she wanted Paige to see her, the redhead only saw Emily. "Sorry, Hanna, I'm not a fan of subjecting myself to embarrassment. I'll just keep my feelings to myself."

Hanna stopped in the middle of the hallway and grabbed Grace's arm. She didn't understand Paige and Grace and how to two seemed to be so accepting of settling. Grace was settling for hiding her feelings. Paige was settling for loving someone that, at times, Hanna thought didn't deserve the love. "How would you embarrass yourself?"

"What would Paige want with a girl like me," Grace said, picking at the hem of her celestial cat shirt. "I can't compare to Emily."

"Right." Hanna gave Grace an exasperated eye roll. "You are a smoking hot blonde with legs for miles. You don't compare because you are in a league of your own-"

"Oh, I love that movie!"

"What movie," Hanna asked.

"A League of Their Own? It's only one of the greatest movies about female empowerment ever made. It's about women taking over professional baseball during-" Grace would have continued telling Hanna about every tiny detail of the movie, but the look of the blonde's face was a mixture of confused and uninterested: two looks that silently equaled 'shut up.' It was just another thing that she liked about Paige: she never gave her the 'shut up, Grace,' look. "Never mind, what were you going to say?"

"I was going to say that you should go for it: ask Paige out." Hanna started down the hall again. "Seize the carp or whatever. It wouldn't be a huge risk; she told me that thinks she would be happy dating you."

Now it was Grace's turn to stop them. "Wait, she actually said that," she said with more enthusiasm than she meant to, but she was over trying to mask her feelings. And this, what Hanna was telling her, was big news. "She actually said that she would be 'happy dating' me?"

"Yeah, last night."

"Geez, what do I do?" Grace started to nervously pace the hallway in a tight L shape around Hanna. She rested her chin in her hand as she tried to process what was being said to her: Paige would be happy with her. Happy with _her_. She actually had a chance. Her heart rate started beating in double then triple time until she felt flush and on the verge of a panic attack. The opportunity was her's to lose now. With wide eyes she whirled around and grabbed Hanna's face: squishing her cheeks between her palms. "Tell me what to do! Please."

Hanna grasped Grace's wrists and with a bit of a struggle freed herself. "Okay, first you need to calm down, because this look," she twirled her pointing finger in front of the blonde's face, "is only going to scare her away. Second, I have an idea, but it's going to take a lot of guts."

"Tell me, I'll do anything." Grace looked at the shorter blonde with pleading eyes, meaning every word she was saying.

A wide smile slowly made its way across Hanna's face. She linked her arm with Grace's and lead her towards the music room. "I need you to promise that you are never going to hurt her. I wouldn't be talking to you right now if I thought it was just going to lead Paige being hurt more."

Grace quickly crossed an X over her heart with her finger, then stuck out her pinky and waited expectantly. Hanna giggled, a simple "I promise," would have been acceptable, but she thought the gesture was cute and she was excited about being part of the iron-clad contract of a pinky promise. "Good, now where is the music room?"

"It's across from the library." Hanna didn't know where that was either. Grace quickly caught on, "Follow me."

* * *

"Students file in. Fill up all the seats, even the ones in front. Don't worry we are not going to smash watermelons today: not after what happened last time." Principal Clarke had a megaphone pressed to her mouth as she directed the slow moving students filing into the gym. She watched as each one moved as though their bodies were too heavy for their muscles to handle. "It appears the zombie apocalypse has hit Rosewood High," she said to herself. "I hope it's not too late to save my cats."

The four friends followed Spencer's lead to the spot that she had decided would make for the fastest exit after the assembly was over. She was not in the mood to be stuck in a stampede of her peers trying to leave school for the weekend.

"Hey, we missed you during study hall. Where were you," Emily asked when Hanna took her seats in the first row of the bleachers.

"Oh, I had to meet with Mrs. Sarawr so I could beg her to raise my grade,"

"Is that why you were talking to Grace," Spencer asked. Hanna racked her brain trying to come up with yet another lie. She didn't want the girls, especially Emily, to know that she had talked to Grace about Paige. Before she could answer, though, Spencer gave her an alibi, "Is she tutoring you?"

"Yup, uh huh, I needed a tutor and thought Grace would be perfect."

"I would have tutored you."

"Don't you mean torture, Spence?" Emily smiled at the scoffing brunette. "She doesn't want to fear for her life every time she gets a problem wrong."

Hanna was already cowering from thoughts of the kind of punishment Spencer might dish out for not answering a question correctly. Imagning whips and electrocution until the blonde was a straight A student.

Spencer smiled as she leaned into Hanna, "How else are you going to learn?"

"Students settle down! I need everyone's full attention. Please settle." Principal Clarke knew that the sooner the assembly started the sooner they could go home. But with so many bodies packed into such a tight space getting everyone to focus was a difficult task.

Coach Murray took the megaphone from Principal Clarke's hands, "QUIET!"

Everyone froze in fear.

"Thank you, Coach." Principal Clarke waited for the ringing in her ears to go away. "All right students, we have a very exciting assembly today. First order of business: Gentleman, you cannot simply say that you are transgendered and walk into the ladies' locker room. It doesn't work like that. Anyone caught abusing this law meant to protect students will be suspended immediately with the possibility of expulsion. It's not a joke. Are you all clear?" She looked at the sea of blank stares. "Nod your head noncommittally if you understand." A few heads slowly started to nod. "Excellent. Second order of business: it's time for Rosewood High's annual Sadie Hawkins dance. Remember it's ladies' choice and ladies there is nothing wrong with being the one to ask someone out."

"When did this school become the model school for all things feminist and LGBTQ?" Hanna quickly looked at Emily. "Not that that's not great."

Emily laughed and shook her head. "Probably, when Principal Clarke's 'companion' moved into her house."

"Now in keeping with untraditional tradition, the theme for the dance will be the oldies. Or as I like to put it, my childhood." The tired principal wondered why she would even try to tell a joke in a room full of zombies. "Right, well to kick things off we have a very special musical performance from our very own, Ms. Paige McCullers."

Paige walked towards the microphone in the center of the gym to the sounds of enthusiastic clapping…from Grace and Hanna.

Aria watched, stunned, as Paige moved across the floor. "Wow, Paige looks —"

"Yeah..." Spencer wasn't hiding her surprise any better than Aria.

"So you agree, right? Paige looks hot."

"Oh, absolutely."

"Emily, what do you think?" The three girls turned their heads towards Emily at the same time.

"She looks different from how she normally looks." Emily shrugged and went back to playing Candy Crush.

Only Paige didn't look _that_ different. Her jeans were still tight and rolled up a little at the bottom, displaying her black Converse. Instead of her usual Spider-man shirt she wore a plain, white t-shirt with the sleeve rolled up to the top of her toned arms. How her arms were so toned was still a mystery to Emily, one that Paige's outfit was making her more curious about. The two biggest changes in her appearance were: the absence of her thick-rimmed glasses and her hair was pinned back into the popular pompadour style of the 50s. No, it wasn't so much her appearance that was making her seem different. With a guitar in her hand and a slight curl of her lip she couldn't help but channel Elvis Presley's confident attitude.

Once she was over the shock, Hanna was clapping and wiggling excitedly in her seat before Paige even played the first note. Emily had always joke about Hanna having a crush on Paige, but now she was really wondering if the blonde actually would go gay for her. She didn't seem too far off.

Paige looked behind her at the band. Once they gave her the go ahead she faced forward again and found Emily in the crowd. There was no question who was going to be on Paige's mind while she sang. Her fingers started to quickly pluck the guitar strings; the band joined in and Paige started to sing.

"Sugar pie, honey bunch

You know that I love you

I can't help myself

I love you and no one else."

Emily shifted uncomfortably in her seat as hundreds of toes started to tap around her. She watched as Paige swayed her hips and strummed her guitar with the up-tempo beat of the catchy song. Under a microscope, someone might have been able to see the slightest hint of a smile on the corners of her mouth. This was Emily and Paige, though, this was their dynamic. A smile would be too encouraging so Emily buried her face in her hands, hoping that she just looked bored.

"When you snap your fingers or wink your eye

I come running to you

I'm tied to you apron strings

And there's nothing that I can do."

Paige smiled when she noticed Emily trying to hide her face, knowing that Emily only did that when she was having a reaction she didn't like. With a little more confidence, Paige grabbed the mic from the stand and made her way over to where the beauty was sitting.

"'Cause, sugar pie, honey bunch

I'm weaker than a man should be

I can't help myself

I'm a fool in love, you see.

Wanna tell you I don't love you

Tell you that we're through and I try

But every time I see your face

I get all choked up inside."

By now everyone in the gym was clapping and dancing in their seats. When Paige reached Emily she put her open hand out hoping that for once the girl would take it. _Please just dance with me. Just this once,_ she thought. Her eyes were pleading, but they went unnoticed: Emily refused to look up. Hanna quickly grabbed Paige's hand and pulled her back towards the center of the gym: away from the heartbreaker.

Together they twisted in the middle of the crowded gym; smiling like they were the only people there. Paige continued to sing while Hanna occasionally threw in some out-of-tune backup vocals. No one seemed to mind though and when Paige sang out the last note, everyone stood and cheered wildly.

"Wow, let's hear it for Paige and the school band." Principal Clarke was back on her megaphone walking towards the performers. "The fun doesn't stop here, folks. We have one more surprise performance." She pulled the megaphone away from her face and turned to Paige, "She was wondering if she could use your guitar."

"Oh, sure, of course." Paige pulled the strap over her head and handed the instrument to the principal. "Here you go."

She thanked Paige and addressed the crowd. "Give it up for Grace Turner."

Grace slowly walked over to where the principal was standing. She was nervous — too nervous — and she wasn't sure if she could go through with Hanna's plan. This kind of thing was meant for someone brave: someone like Paige. Grace stood behind the mic and searched for Hanna in the crowd. She needed that final push of reassurance and she got it when Hanna discretely nodded her head in Paige's direction. The smile on the redhead's face was infectious, making the room seem twice as bright as it had been before. "Thank you. Paige, this is for you." She was relieved when Paige continue to smile even though the girl was obviously surprised.

"You're on the phone with your girlfriend

She's upset

She's going off about something that you said

'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do."

Spencer was bent over with her head resting on Emily's shoulder and laughing loudly. "How come you didn't tell me that the theme of tonight's assembly revolved around you?"

Emily's face burned red with embarrassment. She wanted to run out of the gym. She wanted to yell at Paige for singing to her in the first place, but mostly she just wanted Grace to stop. The song was right: Emily didn't get Paige's humor, she'll never know her story and she didn't want to. Maybe she felt like she was being insulted in front of the whole school, but Grace's song made her angry. When does not loving someone make you a bad person? Tears started to form in Emily's eyes as her anger quickly turned to hurt.

"Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find

That what you're looking for has been here the whole time.

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you

Been here all along

So, why can't you see

You belong with me

You belong with me."

Paige saw Emily and the tears in her eyes, "Em." She wanted to go over to her, to comfort her. These songs and this attention was going to be too much for the girl: she knew that. Paige mentally kicked herself thinking that she had caused the brunette's tears.

As she turned to where the girl was sitting, Hanna grabbed her arm. "Emily's not going to accept your help."

"She might this time."

"She won't: not this time, not next time." Hanna pulled Paige back around so the geek was facing her. "Wake up. Grace is standing in the middle of all these people singing to _you_. She is putting everything she has on the line for you." The blonde tapped her finger against Paige's sternum. "Emily can't even let herself smile at you." It killed Hanna to be so blunt, she loved Emily and Paige and knew that both of their hearts were breaking right now. She didn't know what was bothering Emily so much, but guessed it wasn't just the song. Spencer and Aria would take care of Emily, though; she needed to be there for Paige.

Paige looked back to where Emily was sitting just in time to see the three girls walking out of the gym. Hanna was right: she deserved to have someone that wanted her around. Someone that made her feel wanted. Someone that was standing in the middle of a gym wearing a t-shirt with a cat on it. Paige felt like a weight had been lifted off of her as she watched the tall blonde strum the last cord. She knew she would always love Emily, but it was time to let her go. With confident strides she walked towards Grace. "Did you really sing that song for me, amazing Grace?"

Blush covered Grace's features at the sound of her unofficial nickname. "Yes, did you like it?"

"You were so good. I never realized how-"

"Will you go to the dance with me?" Grace took a small step back when she realized how eager she sounded. "I'm sorry that I interrupted you, it's just a feel like there is a limit to my bravery and I passed that limit the moment I started to sing." Grace looked down and tapped her thumb against the guitar. "You can say no. I don't want you to feel pressured, but I needed you to know how I feel about you." With every last bit of courage left in her lanky body Grace looked into Paige's eyes. "I needed you to know how wonderful you are."

Paige smiled, her heart thumping loudly in agreement: she thought Grace's was wonderful too. "Nothing would make me happier than going to the dance with you."

Grace pushed the guitar behind her back and hug Paige tightly, feeling the weightless sense of relief and excitement. She did it, she got the girl.

The students in the bleachers erupted in cheers for the two girls. It seems Grace and Paige forgot all about the microphone that was picking up on every word of their conversation. "Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her," they chanted, but Principal Clarke quickly ran out and put a stop to their encouragement.

"Students are dismissed. Please, get out of here."

Just as Spencer had predicted: a thundering stampede of impatient teenagers rushed for the exits. Every student was eager to leave school: every student except for two.

Paige took Grace's hand in her's as they slowly made their way out of the now empty gym. "May I walk you home?"

Grace smiled brightly and squeezed Paige's hand. "Nothing would make me happier."

As they walked towards the door Paige patted her hair. "I'm thinking about keep this look. What do you think?" She looked at Grace and wiggled her eyebrows.

The tall blonde laughed and leaned further into the geek, wrapping her free hand around her arm. "Oh, please do, good lookin'."

Hanna walked into the school parking lot, managing to escape the gym unscathed. As she approached Spencer's car a lump of guilt started to form in her throat: Emily was crying. Hanna didn't know what was going on, but she didn't think that the song would affect her that much. Whatever was bothering her, though, had to be big; Emily was not the kind of girl to show her emotions so freely. She slid into the backseat and put her arm around her friend. "Em, what's wrong?"

Emily shook her head. Even she didn't know what was bothering her. All she knew is that when Grace started singing, the words made her feel awful. "I'm not a bad person, Hanna. I can't help how I feel or don't feel about someone."

The blonde squeezed her friend tightly. "No one said you were. Is this about Grace?"

"It's that stupid song." Emily furiously wiped the tears off of her face. Now more upset with herself for letting herself get so worked up over something so little. "Whatever goes on between Paige and me: that's our business. It's not for someone to sing and dance about."

Emily's friends looked at each other and then back to her, wondering if she even realized what she was saying.

"Sweetie, it's just a song. I'm sure she didn't mean to insult you." Hanna rubbed Emily's arms, trying to comfort her. She ignored what the other girl had just said knowing that it probably wasn't the best time to push her buttons about Paige.

"Looks like it worked though." Everyone in the car looked up to see the two girls walking hand-in-hand out of the gym.

Emily wiped the last of her tears and watched the girls disappear around the corner. "Good, I'm glad that issue has worked itself out. Paige deserves to be happy."

Spencer started the car and put it into drive. No one questioned for a second the sincerity of Emily's statement.


	5. Chapter 5

**I guess this is the last one that I have. I thought there was a sixth chapter, but it's only halfway done.**

* * *

She had heard once, that the sound of someone slowly dragging their nails along a chalkboard was so awful that it could cause a person's ears to bleed. Emily wanted to test this because she was sure that a sound capable of causing a physical reaction as sever as blood trickling from ears would mean that was the worst sound in the world. Unfortunately, her school only used dry erase boards and those were pretty quiet when scratched. She had no choice but to assume the information she heard was false. Besides, Emily was sure that nothing was worse than the sound of silverware scrapping against a plate during an otherwise silent dinner.

It was a long-standing tradition — the dinner, not the silence — that used to take place five nights week. Five nights soon become four, then quickly became three, then two, until her mom was practically begging the family to be home at the same time at least once. Once a week wasn't going to kill them. Of course not, because as families went: they were already dead. It wasn't always family dinner, either, sometimes it was game night, movie night, putt-putt golf night. Bonding time used to be fun, used to be filled with laughter and sharing. Used to, used to, used to. Now? Now, Emily pushes her steam carrots around on her plate and internally screams at the top of her lungs for someone to say something. She knows no one will because of what happens when she or her mother talk. Lately though, that doesn't matter; it's been happening without someone even so much as uttering the phrase, "Pass the potatoes," and tonight wasn't going to be any different.

"I'm going upstairs to lie down." It was the first time Emily had heard her father say all day.

She looked over at her mother and noticed that her eyes were already glazing over with tear. Emily wondered how her mom wasn't used to this yet as it had been happening for the past four years. "Wayne, you've barely touched your food. You must be hungry."

Her father slumped his already burdened shoulders as if the task of having to actually eat food was something he could barely handle. "Wrap it up for me please. I'll eat it later."

Emily knew what "later" meant: he would eat when he could be alone. "Later," when the silence was actually comforting instead of the kind of silence that grinds at your nerves when it has fallen around family time. Although, she couldn't be sure if "later" was actually happening judging by her father's sickly frame and sunken cheeks. Gone is the father of her childhood; the one that used to hoist her onto his broad shoulders while they walked through the park. Instead, he had been replaced by a frail version that looked like he might crumble under the weight of a hug.

She focused on the sound of his heavy feet slowly pounding their way up the stairs. Each time he climbed those stairs she was worried that it would be the time he would collapse only to come tumbling back down to the bottom. It would be such a shame to do all that work to get to the top only for one slip to knock him back down.

A knife grinding against one her mother's "good" plates brought her attention back to the table. She checked her ears for any sign of blood. Her clean fingers only further confirmed her suspicion that the whole chalkboard thing is a lie. Chalkboard myth: busted.

"The chicken is good."

"I'm glad you like it, it's Rachel Rae's recipe." Her mother lived for two things: cooking shows and shopping. Well, three if Emily counted wine, but wine was always something that went along with the cooking shows and shopping. Emily never bothered asking her mother how her day was anymore because there was no need. She already knew the schedule: mornings with The Chew and a couple glassed of wine. Afternoons were spent shopping and having lunch with more wine. Usually around dinner time her mother was looking for a cork screw to open her second bottle of wine.

"She's talented." Emily poked at her over-cooked chicken hoping the act of moving her food around her plate would trick her mother into thinking that she was actually eating. She wasn't sure to do at this point: continue with the tenuous conversation they were having or excuse herself so she could escape to Hanna's.

"I forgot to tell you," her mother dropped her hand down on the table causing her Merlot to splash over the sides of the glass, "I hired that friend of yours to be our gardener."

Emily stared at the burgundy spots as they slowly bled further into the tablecloth when her mother's words finally hit her. "Which friend?" As far as she knew none of her friends were part-time gardeners.

"Oh you know that pretty one." Her mother waved her hand dismissively as if she just gave Emily the most obvious answer. "The one with glasses. I think her name was McCuddles."

Emily glared at her mother not fully believing what she just heard. Did she really believe that, "McCuddles," was a viable last name? No, certainly her mother had become a pathological liar or at least Emily was hoping that was the case. If she hadn't then that meant Paige was going to be around even more now _and_ she was getting paid for it. "Do you mean McCullers? Paige McCullers?" She had to double check, maybe there was a McCuddles family living in Rosewood.

"That's the one. Such a nice girl. Anyway, I figured since I can't get my _daughter_ to help with the yard I would hire someone to do it." Her mother said, as she curled her shaking hand around the wine bottle. "Goddammit." Another empty bottle brought the Emily the hope that dinner would suddenly be over, but the conversation continued from the kitchen. "So, I asked Hanna who they use and she recommended Paige. Ah ha!" No such luck dinner would continue thanks to a recently found bottle of wine.

Emily was going to kill Hanna. Actually murder her, preferably in a slow, sadistic manner. She knew that Hanna's mom only hired male gardeners: concerned more about the view than the lawn care.

"You could learn a thing or two from Paige. She works so hard."

"Are you being serious?" This night was just getting worse. She could admit that Paige is smart and driven, but it's not like Emily spent her days lounging around in her underwear. She spent hours training and studying hoping to get a scholarship. As far as she knew her college fund went towards useless kitchen appliance and a plastic deal that is supposed to chop onions when you slap the top of it. Really, it just crushed them into an onion mash. Emily jumped up from her chair, hitting the table as she stood. "I work a hell of a lot harder than you do."

This was way beyond her comfort level. Emily wasn't known for having outbursts. She was scared and unsure of what was going to happen next. Was this the kind of outburst that lead to a fight? Would their fight lead to saying everything that has been bottled up and repairing their damaged family? She was ready for the fight, ready to fix anything she could.

Except her mother was yelling, but not about their life, their broken home. No, she was yelling about the spilled wine spreading across the table. The wine that Emily knocked over when she stood up. It was clear where the priorities were in this family and Emily was no longer one of them.

She straightened her back and reminded herself to not care. "I'm spending the night at Hanna's."

"No, you're not; we are going to sit down and eat dinner as a family."

"You can't eat dinner as a family, Mom, without the whole family here." As soon as Emily finished her sentence she gasped. That was not what she meant to say. The words were rushed and so very wrong. "Mom, I didn't mean - I'm sorry."

"Just go, Emily, go, leave us alone."

"Mom —"

"I said go!" The forgotten wine continued to color the white threads. It didn't matter, everything was just a poor excuse for a replacement anyway.

Emily grabbed her bag and slowly made her way over imaginary eggshells towards the door.

"I'm going to the city tomorrow and I'll need you to be here between noon and one. Paige is coming over so tell her how I like the lawn. Also, keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't fall in the pool."

"She's not a toddler, Mom, she isn't going to accidentally fall in the pool."

"Just do what I ask for once."

Emily looked at the woman sitting at the table no sure who she missed more: her father with the strong shoulders or her mother with the warm heart. "Fine. I'll be home."


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** You kids and your reviews, always making me feel bad for not posting.

* * *

It was noon on the dot when Paige parked her faded blue truck in front of Emily's. She sat there for a moment — the old engine idling roughly — and took in the house. The yard was in dire need of some upkeep, more than she had ever realized before. Crab grass had long taken over the front yard, she guessed, and there were weeds in every nook and crack along the driveway. Flowered plants in overgrown planters had long lost their color and taken on the hue of burnt brown now.

It wasn't uncommon for the homeowner to greet Paige and explain what they were looking for. The certain way they like their shrubs trimmed. At least on the first visit. When Paige looked around the Fields' yard, though, she wondered if tearing everything out and started from scratch wouldn't be easier.

Paige stomped her foot on the brake, revved the engine with her other foot, and wrench the ignition key towards her — the only way to keep the truck from stopping and not taking four days to start again. She, of course, learned this method by accident after many days of having a truck that wouldn't start. Then for appreciation — and a little luck — she gave the dashboard a quick pat. "Good work, Suzy."

She hadn't even unloaded the mower from the back when she heard — then saw — Emily's compact, silver race car speeding towards her. For a moment Paige considered the Emily might hit her. An accident and what jury in the world would convict a girl with a face like that. Fortunately, the tires screeched to a stop with plenty of distance between the car and Paige.

"I'm sorry I'm late." No matter how hard she tried Emily still couldn't let her mom down. That's why she dragged herself away from her friends to babysit someone a month older than her.

"You're not. You're not late, I mean. I —," Paige took a moment to look around the yard again, "I just got here myself. See?" She gestured toward the house.

Emily looked at the lawn and nodded. "Listen, my mom, even though I'm sure you're fully capable of yard work, wanted me to tell you how to cut few things." She paused while Paige pulled a small notebook and pen out of her back pocket. Thinking to herself that Paige was incredibly profession, but reminding herself to not be surprised. "Honestly, though, I'm not too sure how things are supposed to look. I usually keep up with mowing the lawn, but I'm not sure how these bushes are supposed to look."

"Those are Boxwoods, there isn't really a way they are _supposed_ to look. I'll just trim them down to give them at least some shape, but it's going to take a few more visits before I can make them perfect. Cutting too much off a plant at once is bad for it."

Emily made an "o" shape with her mouth and nodded again. She felt lost. The yard was her dad's deal. He was the gardener and the yard used to be his pride and joy. It was once a source of joy for Emily too, even though she can't remember every detail. She can remember those days in Spring when she'd get off the bus and see the flowers in full bloom. All of the purples, reds, pinks, and oranges. Flowers that grew as big as her hand and ones that grew in small, delicate clusters. It was a field of color and it was alway there to welcome her home. Slowly, though, those colors faded. As much as she tired to keep the colors from vanishing, her ten year old hands just weren't strong enough for the dirt.

Paige furrowed her eyebrows as she studied the expression on Emily's face. She didn't know where Emily had gone, but she sure wasn't with her anymore. Her eyes were giving away that where ever she went, it wasn't a happy place. "Don't worry about, I'll do what I can today. Just the basics: mow, trim, edge and I'll pull the dead plants out."

"No," Emily snapped her head back to look at Paige. "Everything stays."

"But, Em, those plants, I don't think they're coming back."

"I don't care, everything stays right where it is. Just put some Miracle Grow on them or something." Emily glared at Paige as the girl removed her glass to clean them on her shirt.

"That's not," Paige paused mid-sentence trying to get the nerves out of her voice, "that's not what Miracle Grow does. It doesn't actually perform miracles."

"This stupid lawn means nothing to me, Paige, just don't take anything out and don't call me 'Em.'" She waited for Paige to nod, then Emily turned and headed for her front door. Regret already tugging at her.

It was five hours later when the sound of small engines finally stopped buzzing from outside. Emily groaned, thankful to have reached the end of the cacophony. She had been trying to watch a movie, but the sounds kept it from being enjoyable. She eventually gave up and just laid back on the couch so she could count the cracks in the ceiling. There were more cracks than she had ever noticed before and she wondering if the house was going to collapse. Like it was build over one of those sinkholes she heard about on the news. She tried to imagine all of her neighbors being interviewed for NBC. Each and every one of them commenting on what a nice family they had been and it was a shame all the tragic events that had taken place. They would all say the same thing: "It's awful. The Fields had overcome so much just to end up like this. Such a damn shame." Then, of course, they'll panic at their slip and ask if they can say, "Damn" on television. They can't, at least not until the ten o'clock news. None of it wouldn't matter to her because she'd be buried at the bottom of the Earth. Her own house, now her tomb.

It wasn't until Paige knocked on the door that she stopped staring at the ceiling and hurried over to the door. "Don't knock so hard, my house is unstable." Emily flipped her hand towards the ceiling. Then dropped her hand back to her side with a snap when she realized how she probably sounds. A little on the crazy side, but if Paige thought that she didn't let on. "Sorry, did you need water or something."

"Oh no, I-"

Emily studied Paige, she was sweaty and covered in dirt. Her knees had a thick layer of mud dried onto them and her skin was red. A sunburn Emily thought, no doubt something Paige will regret later when her sheets are clawing against her skin. Still, Emily could deny this look was an improvement. Right down to the cliche smudge of dirt on her cheek.

"Em," Paige repeated. "Sorry, Emily."

"Hmm…what happened?" Emily shook head, trying to get the thoughts about Paige out. Dirty and sweaty or not, it was still her geek standing in front of her.

Paige's smile was even brighter against the backdrop of grim on her face. "I said that I have to get home for dinner, but if you want to have a look around. Anything that jumps out at you, I can, you know, add it to the list for next time." Paige held up her pocket notebook and gave it a little wave.

"Sure, I'll look." Emily peeked out from her doorway and her jaw dropped. "You did all this by yourself? It looks incredible."

Paige shrugged, because she really didn't do much, just a lot of minor changes that she guessed made a big difference. "I hope you don't mind, but I had a couple trays of flowers left over from another job." She pointed to the small pink and yellow flowers dotting the front planter. "I know you told to not take anything out, but I thought-"

Tears sprang up in Emily's tired eyes, not enough to fall, but Paige could see them glisten. Emily continued to take in everything. The walkway leading to the house was free of weeds and outlined by the sharp edge of the lawn. The ivy that had been taking over the tall oak, had been tamed, its order restored. She could even see the swing hanging from one of its mighty branches again. And then there were the flowers, tiny and delicate and perfect. She wanted to leave just so she could come home again. Paige, with all of her nosey engines and dirt smudges, had given her that, a little revival of her old home.

Emily turned back to Paige and blinked away the moisture in eyes. "It's beautiful, really. I haven't seen it look like this since I was a little girl." Without thinking for once, Emily reached out and squeezed Paige's dirty, muscled forearm. She let her fingers linger on Paige's heated skin for a beat before pulling away. "Thank you, Paige."

If Paige wasn't already a little sunburned, blush would have colored her face. "You're welcome. It was tempting to outsource this job." She laughed a little feeling like she needed to give Emily a break. Clearly, something was getting to her, but Paige was satisfied with the small smile her joke had managed to get from Emily. "Well, I guess it's time to make like a banana and split." Except she didn't move, neither girl did.

Emily went back to taking in the lawn and Paige went back to taking in Emily. She was lost in somewhere deep, Paige could tell that much, but she knew better than to pry. Still, she stood still, calm and ready, just incase Emily needed her.

"Paige?"

Paige didn't hear her name being called and only looked up when Emily did after noticing the way the girls features set into hard lines.

Grace was walking up the freshly weeded walkway, carefully trying to avoid stepping on the small brown dog zig zagging between her feet. "Hi," she said when she finally reached the pair, "I thought that was your truck." Grace reached out with one arm and wrapped it around Paige's shoulders carefully avoiding getting dirt on her clothes. Paige seemed to understand and opted to only place one hand on Grace's waist.

Emily couldn't help but think if all their hugs were that awkward or if it was just because they had an audience.

"What are you doing here," Grace asked, her smile dropping as she looked at Emily.

Something about that caused Emily to shift from foot to foot. A dance she often did in uncomfortable situations. She was about to explain that her parents had hired Paige to do some gardening when the sound of laughter and yaps caused them both to look down.

Paige had the squirming puppy wrapped in her arms while the fur ball seemed determined to kiss every inch of Paige's face. "What's her name?"

"Liz Lemon, but we call her Lizzy."

"Hi, Liz Lemon, you're so cute, aren't you? Yes, you are. Who's a dog? Are you a dog?"

"Paige, would you like to walk her home with me? I only live a few houses down." Grace pointed down the tree lined street.

"You do?" Emily tried to remember a time that she had seen Grace in this neighborhood before, but was drawing a blank. "Did you move in recently?"

"If 13 years ago is recently, then, yes."

This situation was getting old fast. "Cute dog. I'm going back inside." Emily heard goodbyes and a see you next week as she retreated back into the comfort of her house. From her window she should see the two girls walking away, not touching, but walking close. Emily pushed her hair back and sighed, relieved that her time with Paige had been interrupted.


End file.
